Barack Obama’s adopted hometown of Chicago is consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. The fact that it also boasts some of the nation’s most draconian gun control laws adds credibility to the conservative argument that a citizenry free to defend itself will naturally become safer.

Such causation is apparently lost on the leftists in charge of the Windy City. Local legislators continue to pass restrictive laws, including one that prohibited the sale or transfer of guns.

This week, a federal judge ruled that law violated the U.S. Constitution, marking just the latest oppressive gun control proposal to be overturned in court.

According to U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang’s decision, local governments cannot violate citizens’ constitutional right to bear arms – even in the pursuit of reduced gun violence.

Chicago – along with Illinois in general – has been on the losing end of the gun control battle for years. The state was the last to legalize carrying concealed weapons and did so only under a court order last year.

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A municipal ban on guns was similarly struck down in 2010 by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The most recent ruling was a response to a complaint issued by gun sale lobbyists and several Chicagoans. Chang explained the city went “too far in outright banning legal buyers and legal dealers from engaging in lawful acquisitions and lawful sales of firearms, and at the same time the evidence does not support that the complete ban sufficiently furthers the purposes that the ordinance tries to serve.”

Chang left the door open for an appeal by the city; however, Second Amendment supporters already view the ruling as a win.

According to one NRA lobbyist, the ruling – from a judge appointed by Obama, no less – is evidence of “how out of step and outrageous Chicago’s ordinances really are.”

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If gun control supporters could look at the issue honestly, Chicago’s situation would cause them to seriously reconsider their position. Unfortunately, many in this crowd are so entrenched in their own ideology that facts are of little importance.